How to create your own palettes

Click on "Palettes" in the main site menu, and then choose the "Create New" link. This will take you to the "Add a Palette" page.

This will take you to the "traditional" colour mixer. You can also use the more advanced "copaso" colour mixer by going to Palettes > Copaso. Find instructions on how to use the copaso mixer here.

There are a number of ways to create your own palette.

For example, you can generate colour swatches from an existing image,
choose from a randomly generated group of colours at the bottom of the page, or mix your own colours using the ColourLovers colour mixer application.

To use the Colour Mixer:
At the top of the page you will see five boxes. These are the "swatch" boxes in which your future palette will be mixed.

Click in one of the grey "swatch" boxes to select it.

Change the darkness, lightness or saturation of a colour

In the left side of the HSV Colour Mixer there is a square colour area, displaying the colour from dark to light. Move the pointer button to specify how dark, light or "saturated" you wish the colour to be. Saturation means the strength or intensity of a colour.
Moving the pointer up adds white, moving it down adds black. Moving it to the right increases the saturation, and left de-saturates the colour. For example, you can adjust a colour from dull greyish red, to pale pink, to dark, to intense bright red. Notice how the pointers in the "S" and "V" strips move up and down as you adjust this pointer.


Change the Hue of a colour with the HSV mixer

The first colour strip is labeled "H". It is a rainbow coloured vertical strip with a slider button. Use this to set the "hue" of the colour by moving the slider up and down. This will change the hue of the colour - for example, from red to yellow.

Changing the saturation of the colour balance between brighter / more saturated

The second colour strip is is labeled "S". It allows you to adjust the "saturation" of the colour - how intense it is. Notice that the pointer in the main colour box moves to the left (brighter) as you move the "S" slider up, and to the right (more saturated) as you adjust this slider down.

Adjust the amount of black in the colour
The third colour strip allows you to adjust the darkness of the colour - how pure, greyish or black it is. This is labeled "V". Notice that the pointer in the main colour box moves up (purer/brighter) as you move this "V" slider up, to down (darker) as you adjust this slider down.

Working directly with the Hexidecimal, RGB or CMYK values

Below the HSV colour mixer there is a field containing the hexidecimal name of the colour currently "mixed" by the mixer. Read more about colours here. This will update as you move the sliders around. You can edit this field directly - you can type a hexidecimal colour name into this field.

This mixer also allows you to work directly with the RGB, CMYK and HSV values.


Using existing colours from the Similar Colours group

Below the Colour Mixer is a randomly generated group of "Similar Colours" which update according to the colour currently mixed in the mixer. These are colours which are already created and named by other ColourLovers. Click on one of these to add that colour to the currently selected swatch.

Picking colours from an existing, online image

To pick colours from an image, paste a complete URL pointing to that image in the "Picture Palette Inspiration" field at the top of the page. This must be a complete URL including the "http://" bit. Click on the "Find Inspiration" button and the colour swatches will be generated.

If the URL contains characters indicating spaces in the file name like so: "%20", the link finder wont be able to generate colours from your image.

Naming the palette

Remember to type a name for your palette. This does not have to be a unique name - its OK if there are already other palettes with the same name in ColourLovers.

Publishing the palette
To publish the finished palette (dont worry, you can always edit it later) - scroll down and click on the "Add Palette" button at the bottom of the page.

Naming your colours.

When mixing colours for a palette, you may have created some colours that have not been submitted to this site before. In this case, you will be prompted to name these colours just after you try to submit the palette.

The colour names do not have to be unique to the site. If other lovers have named other colours with the same name, it does not matter.

If you choose colours that have already been submitted to ColourLovers, that colour's existing name will automatically appear on that palette's page.



What are all those fields in the "Create a Palette" page for?

The Palette name will display with its thumbnail image in the palette lists.
The Palette Description and Inspiration Description are places where you can insert text, images or palette badges to give other ColourLovers more information about the context of your palette and what inspired it.
The Inspiration Link field is where you can insert a URL to what inspired the palette. The URL must be a complete one - for example,

http://http://www.hickerphoto.com/data/media/40/husky_dogs_T4216.jpg

points directly to a inspiration image.

The "Inspiration Image" field allows you to browse to an image on your own computer and upload it. Notice that the image will be resized to be 150 px wide.

The "Use Link" can point to a online example of how you used the palette.

The "Use Image" allows you to browse to an image example of how you applied the palette, and upload it.

If you have joined any Groups, you will see them listed below the "Add To My Groups" heading at the bottom of the page. If you wish a thumbnail of your palette to be displayed in a Group, check the box next to that Group's name.

How to edit an existing palette

Once you have created a palette, you can still change it. You can only edit your own palettes.

Go to the palette's page. Click on the "Edit" button. The page that opens will allow you to change the palette's title, or re-mix the colours that make up the palette. You can add the palette to a Group, or edit the rest of the palette's information such as its inspiration link etc.

When you are done, click on the "modify palette" button at the bottom of the page

You cannot edit a colour once it has been created. But you can assign different colours to an existing palette.

What is a palette badge

A palette badge is a small thumbnail image of a palette, along with some information about that palette - the name of the palette's creator, an indication of it's current "heart" rating, it's rank and how many comments it has.

Palette badges are linked to their palette pages - when someone clicks on a palette badge, the relevant palette page opens. This makes it a nice way to introduce a palette to another ColourLover.

You can post palette badges in comments to other ColourLovers - to share your own palettes, or give credit to palettes that inspired you. You can post them in the "Description" field of a palette, in a forum post or in a comment on a blog.

How to post a palette badge

On every palette page, you will find a link to that palette's badge to the right of the page, under the heading "ShareThis Palette Badge"

Copy the entire badge link that is listed here. Now you can post it in any place where you are normally able to submit text - for example, in a comment, in a forum post or in a Group conversation.

How to download palettes.

On the palette's page, below the "palette stats" area you will find the "download palette" buttons. They allow you to download palettes in a number of different formats.

ASE - downloads a "Adobe Swatch Exchange" file - can be used in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, CS2 and CS3

PS - downloads an ACO file - a Photoshop Swatches File

AI - downloads a Adobe Illustrator file, which opens in Illustrator as a new document with the relevant palette displayed in the Swatches palette.

CS - download a Color Scheme Studio palette

HTML - downloads a HTML page with the colours specified as RGB and Hex values with an internal CSS stylesheet.

ZIP - downloads a zip file with all of the above neatly packaged - not including the Adobe Swatch Exchange file.

How to create your list of favorite palettes

On each palette's page there is an "add to Fav's" button. Click this button to save the palette in your Favorites list.

To see your own Favorite list, go to your profile page and click on the "Favorites" tab at the top of the page. You'll see the latest 5 palettes/colors you've added as favorites. When clicking on 'View all', they will be listed alphabetically by name, starting from the letter Z. You can see other ColourLover's favorites in the same way, from their profile pages.

Palette Tags - what are they, and how to use them

How are palettes/colors ranks calculated?

Ratings are calculated according to several factors: the number of votes the palette or color got, its average score, the number of people who added it to their favorites and the number of comments it received. Color ranks also take into account the amount of palettes this color is used in.

(Not sure but that's what the forum discussion seems to imply, anyway)

How can I show one's palette/color some love?

You can vote for it by clicking on the hearts located next to the palette/color. One heart represents 1 point. Five hearts represent 9 points. You can add it to your favorites. You can comment on it. You can use this color in a new palette.

Can I vote for my own palettes/colors?

Yes, you can. You can also add them to your own favorites and comment on them.

My score has been reset to 0? Why?

Votes are reset to 0 on all palettes once a month. It keeps the "what's hot right now" fresh and gives you a chance to change your mind next month.

Change the order of your colors
Left click with your mouse and drag the color.

Make two, three or four-color palettes
Leave the color choices blank. You can also repeat the same color once, twice, etc.

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CS = ColorSchemer Studio
ACO = Photoshop

And right now the ZIP doesn't include the ASE, but we're working on it.

P.S. Awesome work!

Thanks guys I will edit the comments above. Sometime soon. Got to go to bed now!

OK I've edited the list at the top to include your suggestions.

From ms's post:

Change the order of your colors
Left click with your mouse and drag the color.

Make two, three or four-color palettes
Leave the color choices blank. You can also repeat the same color once, twice, etc.

How are palettes/colors ranks calculated?

Ratings are calculated according to several factors: the number of votes the palette or color got, its average score, the number of people who added it to their favorites and the number of comments it received. Color ranks also take into account the amount of palettes this color is used in.

(Not sure but that's what the forum discussion seems to imply, anyway)

How can I show one's palette/color some love?

You can vote for it by clicking on the hearts located next to the palette/color. One heart represents 1 point. Five hearts represent 9 points. You can add it to your favorites. You can comment on it. You can use this color in a new palette.

Can I vote for my own palettes/colors?

Yes, you can. You can also add them to your own favorites and comment on them.

My score has been reset to 0? Why?

Votes are reset to 0 on all palettes once a month. It keeps the "what's hot right now" fresh and gives you a chance to change your mind next month.

I always wondered what the "Use" categories were for... I was afraid to play with them... ;)

OK - I've added onebreath and ms's contributions - sorry it took me a while!